Let Your Light Shine

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16 NIV)

What on earth are we here for? It’s an age-old question, a popular cliché. Likely, we all ask ourselves this question at one point or another. I personally still come back to it, needing a reminder about my truest purpose. There it is, in Matthew 5:  Let my light shine before others, so that my God may be glorified. Sometimes that feels about as clear as mud.

What is my light?

Because we are created in the image of God, he bestowed each of us with talents and gifts that benefit the world around us. We are charged with figuring out those things, which can certainly prove a challenge. We may not know where to begin. Many interests can present themselves, and we might not know what to focus on. We probably have people asking us to be involved in different activities. We may not have enough time to spend figuring out what the next step might be. Nonetheless, part of the life of a Christian is to figure out how we can make a difference in the lives of others. Our light is our love.

Why do we have light?

When I was younger, I felt ambivalent about God bring deserving glory. I constantly thought, What about me? Don’t I deserve good things? Don’t I deserve the spotlight? When we understand the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the grace that is ours because of it, glorifying the Lord feels easier. The light of our love glorifies him.

It was while I was standing in church one Sunday and singing about the holiness of God and his worthiness of praise that I realized that, in fact, I don’t deserve anything. I might want it, think I am good enough for it, but truly, I don’t deserve it. I am not inherently giving and unselfish, but the opposite. Only God is perfectly good, perfectly loving, perfect and without sin. And it is only when I examine myself next to Jesus that I honestly realize my own faults and shortcomings.

I realized I need the love of Jesus to change me from the inside out so that my gifts and talents can shine, not for me, but for him. This makes my life better because when I am focused on doing my best, giving my all, for God through the power of the Holy Spirit, then my life becomes about love. It becomes about really seeing others, the focus no longer being on myself.

I know there are people in this world who don’t care about whether others feel loved or not, cared for or not, as long as their own needs are met. My heart breaks for those people because they are missing the whole point of life: LOVE. My heart breaks because they don’t even know they are missing it. Maybe their hearts are hardened and they cannot see that the way to freedom is through love and glorifying something other than the self.

Jesus presented a very backward kingdom. He came not as a high king, but as a little babe. He needed someone to love him, protect him, and care for him, just like we all do. He told us that whoever wants to be great among us must be a servant (Matt. 20:26 NIV). Mary was a servant to Jesus from his birth. He, in turn, was a servant to those around him, not only in his ministry of healing and teaching but even in his work as a carpenter, building new things and repairing broken things.

God is glorified when we use our gifts and talents to love and serve others. He is glorified when we let others know what we believe about where those gifts came from and when we simply use them quietly. Are you glorifying God with your light today?

Lord, help us to glorify you and understand why you deserve the glory. Help us to be on our knees with gratitude for the opportunity to love and serve others. Let us use our gifts for your glory, which leads to our good. Let us feel the good of that experience and then move forward to do it again. Amen

Scripture for Reflection

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, Not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” (Phil. 2:3-4 NIV)

“Jesus replied, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your god, is the one who glorifies me.’” (John 8:54 NIV)

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Cor. 13:4-7 NIV)

Reach for More

Opportunities exist all around us to love the world on a large scale as well as by loving the people right in front of us. Our churches are a great place to start. Does your church have a one-time serving opportunity you could participate in that might give you a taste of what it looks like to let your light shine to glorify God? If not, look for something in the community. My kids and I recently served at the local food bank, to my surprise, and they had a great time. We have also begun visiting a nursing home (although we have paused this during the current pandemic), and the smiles of the residents there cannot be outdone. Especially in our current situation, there are ways to serve, even from afar. Do you sew? Can you make masks to donate to your local hospital? Can you do a grocery pickup and drop-off for fragile neighbors? Look for a small place to begin if you are not already involved in something, and begin praying daily that God will open just the right opportunity to shine your light for him on a regular basis.

Carla Clemens enjoys a crazy, beautiful life with her military husband, four sons, and a daughter. A baby interrupts her homeschool days in the best ways, and she is always attempting to live with mindfulness of each moment. She hopes to look at the world and each person in it in light of our amazing Creator, and therefore, to see each moment presented as an opportunity to love and serve him more. Carla relishes time to ponder God’s Word and have quiet moments with him and her coffee. She loves doing life with other mamas and encouraging them to simply be who God has made them to be.

Photograph © Natalie Grainger, used with permission